Less Than Grimm
by RueEmerson
Summary: Definitely AU. There is little reference to the show or its supernatural characters except that I stole the captain, who stole my breath away from the beginning. An off-duty encounter with one of his detectives leads to a hands-on approach.
1. Chapter 1

The party was over. Detective Kyra Lyons sighed and started gathering and dumping dishes in the sink.

As much as she adored her "brothers," fellow officers of the law, she was glad they had finally gone out the door. She had enough of being recognized for making a break in the Henley murder case that ultimately led to the arrest of that con Kit Mason.

It had been her partner, Detective Chase Hanson, who recommended hosting the event at her apartment. She would have to beat him later for suggesting the whole idea to begin with. In the three years they'd been working together, the blonde young man always was looking for an excuse to relive his college days.

Kyra heard someone clear his throat and whipped around.

Her boss, Captain Sean Renard, stood tall in the kitchen doorway, his dark eyes as dark as his hair. He wasn't smiling, but then again, he rarely did.

"Sir, I didn't realize anyone was still here," she stuttered, immediately standing at attention.

"Geez, Kyra, it's your own place. Besides, we're off duty. At ease," Sean said as he joined her in cleaning up.

Kyra tried to remind herself to breathe. From the moment she'd laid eyes on him, she found herself drawn to the brooding man. His command style, his firm yet gentle leadership of those on the squad, his lean looks … She had no business thinking along those lines, she scolded herself. He was her boss. He also was a good 10 to 15 years older than she.

Unbeknownst to her, Sean was thinking along the same lines. He was immediately attracted to the young woman the moment she sauntered into his office. Her feisty, dogged style of apprehending criminals, her detective skills, her soft curves … He reminded himself he had a rule of fraternizing with his people, a strict policy he didn't date anyone under his command.

Sean glanced at Kyra's back as she began running soapy water in the sink. She had clammed up when he entered the kitchen.

He had ordered himself to leave when the boys headed out, but ended up lingering in the off chance he'd get time alone with her. He mentally kicked himself. What was he thinking? Why the hell would a beautiful woman like her want an old man like him anyway?

"I thought I'd stick around and help clean up," Sean finally said. "The guest of honor shouldn't be left alone to pick up after her own party."

Kyra flashed him a smile as she put food into Tupperware containers and into the fridge.

"Remind me to kill Chase for this," she said. "It's all his fault."

He chuckled; the first time she'd ever heard him laugh. It was a deep sound just like his voice and it made her insides melt.

Stop it, she chastised herself.

Kyra felt like the kitchen was getting smaller with his presence. She excused herself and wandered into the living room to gather up the beer bottles scattered around on the coffee table and end tables. After she deposited them in the recycle bin in the laundry room, she returned to the kitchen to find her boss washing dishes.

He had hiked up the sleeves on his hunter green long sleeve shirt, revealing tan arms. Out of habit, he still had his service gun and holster and badge on his hip. His cell phone stuck out of his back pocket.

"Sir, er, Captain, you don't have to do that," she said, moving to stand near him, prepared to take over.

"Kyra! I told you we're off duty. Call me Sean," he said, glancing sideways at her. "And I know how to wash dishes. You can dry if you want."

Oh, boy. All of Kyra's senses told her to run. Being in the same room as him, alone in close quarters, was giving her hot flashes. She nervously tucked her hair behind her ear before reaching for a dishtowel.

Sean, on the other hand, hoped she didn't notice his jeans were getting a little tight.

They worked in silence and soon the task was finished. He reached for the dishtowel in her hands to dry his, brushing her fingers with his. She nearly jumped at the electric current she swore passed between them and forced herself to calm down. She was sure he didn't notice how tense she was.

The thing was, he did. He wanted her. Bad.

Enough is enough, Sean said to himself. At his own risk, he tossed the towel aside and hauled her into his arms. Kyra grabbed the front of his shirt to steady herself.

Sean lowered his head and covered her mouth with his. Kyra softly moaned and leaned into him. She immediately noticed the hardness of his frame, feeling an ache in her own. His tongue ravaged hers. She slid her arms around his neck; his hands slid up and down her back.

Breathing hard, he broke the kiss and laid his forehead on hers.

"I'd better go," Sean forced himself to say. He knew if he let this go on, he'd end up taking her to bed.

Kyra started to protest. She had wanted this for so long!

"I don't want us to do something we will regret," he said, gently stroking her cheek with his thumb.

Sean reluctantly released her and made himself step away from her. Kyra leaned against the counter for support, looking at him with a frown.

"Don't look at me like that," he said.

"Like what?" she replied. "You kiss me and then push me away. How am I supposed to react, _Captain_?"

He winced at her use of his rank and ran his hand through his hair.

"Look, Kyra, I don't want us to rush into anything. If we kept that up, I'd be spending the night in your bed tonight."

She had the good grace to blush.

"I want you. I won't pretend I don't," Sean said, shifting his weight to ease the strain. "But I'm not interested in a one-night stand. We haven't talked about this, us, what we want in a relationship, if we …" He trailed off.

Kyra took a deep breath and nodded. He was right. Did she really want to jump straight into the sack with him? She hadn't prepared for this moment; she'd dreamed about it, she admitted to herself, but she'd not done anything more than that. She hadn't imagined her fantasy would become reality.

"Would you like to meet for dinner tomorrow?" Sean asked. "We can figure out where to go from there."

Not trusting herself to speak, she nodded again.

He gave her a half-smile. If he didn't leave soon, he was going to lose his self-control and cross a line.

"I'll see you at work in the morning, Kyra. Goodnight." Sean quietly vacated the kitchen and the apartment, leaving Kyra to wonder if she had dreamed the whole thing.


	2. Chapter 2

Kyra dragged into the precinct the next day, haven't hardly slept all night. She kept replaying the entire scene in Sean's arms and his frustrating departure. Kyra knew she should be grateful he kept them from acting out on their mutual attraction before they were ready but it left her yearning him more.

Sean looked worse for the wear, too. After a cold shower and about four hours of fitful sleeping, he finally decided there was paperwork he could be catching up on at the office. He watched Kyra cross the squad room with barely a glance in his direction.

Chase was leaning back in his chair, his fingers locked behind his head, his feet on the desk, half-dozing, when Kyra perched on the side of his desk.

"I'm going to kill you," she announced. He popped open one blue eye and grinned.

"That good, huh?" he replied.

"That is the last time I let you talk me into anything," Kyra growled, swatting at his boots. He clanked his feet to the ground and leaned forward.

"Oh, come on, Kyra! You can't tell me you didn't enjoy yourself." She fought from blushing as she recalled how she had immensely enjoyed herself in Sean's arms.

"Whatever," she said, hopping off his desk and plopping herself in her own chair. "Next time I'm going to ignore your suggestions."

The morning segued into afternoon as Kyra and Chase pursued leads on their current case. She was staring at a computer screen when she heard Sean call out.

"Lyons! I need you to see you in my office!" the captain shouted into the squad room. Chase questioningly looked up at her from the files he was flipping through. She shrugged in response and walked toward Sean's office.

"Shut the door, please," Sean said, leaning back from his massive oak desk and crossing his arms.

Kyra obeyed and faced him, her back to the squad room.

"Do you still want to have dinner tonight?" he softly asked so as to not draw attention his men on the other side of the window.

"Yes," she whispered. "What did you have in mind?"

"Simpson's? Off Highway 81?" She was familiar with the little homestyle café.

"I'll meet you there around 7." He nodded and stood up.

"Then it's settled," he said as he walked past her to open the office door. She returned to her desk, fighting the urge to smile. Chase stared at her but decided not to ask.


	3. Chapter 3

Seated across a small table from Sean, Kyra felt like a giddy schoolgirl. She was on a date with the man she had admired from afar and couldn't believe it.

Over steaks and homemade fries and eventually dessert, they covered the gamut as they discussed their families, their careers, their partners, their hobbies, their pet peeves. They laughed at each other's stories and somberly shook their heads at the losses they had endured. Before they knew it, it was café's closing time and the owner politely asked the police captain to pay the bill.

Sean obliged, thanking the staff for their service, and helped Kyra with her coat. They stood in the parking lot as the café locked the door and shut off the front lights, her leaning against the hood of her SUV.

"I enjoyed tonight, Sean," Kyra said, looking up at him. He resisted pulling her into his arms.

"Me, too. Kyra, I want to see you again," he said, moving closer toward her.

Her heart jumped for joy as her head told her to slow down.

"Do you want to come over for coffee?" she asked, knowing full well she wasn't asking him over for drinks. Kyra could have sworn she saw Sean's eyes flash.

"I don't think that would be wise," he said. "Like I said last night, we've not discussed what we want out of this relationship. I want you more than anything but I don't think we're ready to go there yet. Do you?"

Kyra sighed. He was right, of course.

"I hear what you're saying," she said, "but telling my body to listen isn't exactly working."

"Believe me, my body isn't listening either," Sean said, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. She shivered in delight at his touch.

"We're going to have to have 'the talk' sooner than later, Sean," Kyra said.

"I agree, but not right now." He moved away from her toward his truck. "Goodnight, Kyra."


	4. Chapter 4

They continued the slow dance of talking and eating but not touching for nearly a month before Kyra cornered Sean one night at work. Most everyone else had gone home when she wandered into his office. He glanced up at her and gave her a half-smile. She placed both hands on his desk and looked him straight in the eye.

"I'm cooking dinner tonight and I'm not going to take 'no' for an answer," Kyra said in a low voice. "We are going to talk about 'it,' if it's the last thing I do."

Sean covered his grin with his hand and cocked an eyebrow.

"Is that so?"

She shot him a look that told him he didn't have a choice in the matter and left his office without another word.

Sean pulled into her apartment's parking lot 20 minutes later. She let him in and hurried back to the kitchen. The aroma of fresh baked lasagna wafted though his senses.

After dinner, they ended up at the sink like their first encounter, him washing dishes and her drying them. Draining the sink, he pulled the dishtowel out of her hands and tossed it on the counter before hauling her into his arms.

"We're going to have to stop being in the kitchen together," Sean said as his lips covered hers. Kyra wrapped her arms around his neck and arched against him. This time he groaned. He moved his mouth down her jaw and lower, nipping her neck. Her fingers buried in his hair as she threw her head back, giving him more access. His hands settled on her hips to hold them still.

Sean buried his face in her neck, trying to regain his self-control.

"Kyra, are you protected?" he huskily asked.

"I went on birth control after our last encounter here," she replied, her warm breath in his ear.

He didn't need any more invitation then that. He lifted her up in his arms and carried her through the living room and down the hall to her bedroom.

* * *

Kyra woke to a tan muscled arm around her waist and warm body pressed against her back. She smiled to herself and closed her eyes at the memory of last night. In their intense hunger, there had been little preliminary exploration the first time. They had joined together in passionate fury and it was over almost as quickly. The second time, however, was a slow burn as they spent time discovering each other.

She slipped out of bed to go to the bathroom. When she returned and climbed back into bed, he pulled her beneath him and nuzzled her neck, his arousal evident against her bare thigh.

"Morning," he said as he pressed his lips to her collarbone.

"Morning," she said as her hands grasped his shoulders and she brought her knees up. He entered her and she let out a soft moan. His mouth found hers and his tongue mimicked his thrusts. She wrapped her legs around his hips, allowing him to pump and grind deeper.

Kyra felt like she was spinning up into a vortex as pleasure coursed through her. Sean shouted her name as his own climax threw him over the cliff. He collapsed on her, resting part of his weight on his forearms so as to not crush her. She trembled underneath him as aftershocks rippled through her.

When he could breath normally again, Sean rolled onto his back and brought her with him so her head rested on his shoulder and her legs tangled in his.

"I could get used to this," she said after while, her hand idly grazing his chest.

"We didn't really discuss where we go from here," Sean reminded her.

Kyra propped her head up on one hand and looked down at him.

"What is there to discuss?" she asked.

"For one thing, we work together. How am I going to keep my hands off you now? Are we going to tell anyone or no one? And what about the tiny detail that I'm your boss? We've got to figure out how to handle that." Sean reached up to push her bangs out of her eyes. "I'll do whatever you want but it is going to be tough any way we look at it."

"In answer to your first question, you'll just have to rely on that self-control that you've maintained all those years before we ended up in bed," Kyra said matter-of-fact. "Second, I'm not planning on telling anyone, not even Chase. It's nobody's business but yours and mine. And lastly, you'll treat me like you've always treated me. I'm a detective who works for you; I won't expect any special treatment as your girlfriend, because no one will know I am."

Sean stared at her for a moment before speaking.

"And if someone finds out? Then what?" he asked.

"I'm going to choose to cross that bridge when we get there," she replied. "Sean, I know we're taking a huge risk, but I've wanted you in my life for a long time. We will just deal with it as it comes."

And come it did.


	5. Chapter 5

On his days off, Sean spent his time at Kyra's apartment. He couldn't bring himself to be away from her. She was like an addiction; he couldn't get enough.

This particular afternoon, she was curled up on the couch, her head in his lap, his fingers running through her hair, as they absentmindedly watched TV. Neither had felt like going out but they didn't really want to stay in bed.

Their quiet reverie was interrupted by rapid knocks on her door.

"Shit," Kyra muttered as she sat up. She knew it was Chase. So far they had managed to avoid anyone discovering their relationship but she couldn't hide this from her partner — Sean was barefoot and in jeans and a T-shirt lounging on her sofa.

She looked at Sean for direction as she stood. He caressed her hip as he looked up at her.

"Kyra, we knew this would eventually come. Let him in," he said.

She took a deep breath and opened the front door. Chase breezed past her, talking a mile a minute.

"We're going down to Garcia's for lunch and then a round of pool at the Q-Spot. I'm here to …" He stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted the captain on the couch. He snapped to attention.

"Sir." Sean waved him to stand down as Kyra made her way around Chase to perch on the sofa next to Sean. A wave of concern crossed Chase's face. "What's wrong? Has something happened?"

Kyra shook her head and sideway glanced at Sean.

"Oh, for Pete's sake," Sean said. "We are all adults here. Chase, Kyra and I are in a relationship. We're not deliberately trying to hide it but I'd appreciate it if you'd keep it to yourself."

Chase tried to keep his jaw from hitting the floor. He had noticed Kyra had been acting a bit odd lately but he wouldn't have guessed this.

"Not a problem, sir," Chase said as he inched back toward the door, giving Kyra a look that said they would be discussing this later. "I'll catch you later, Kyra." She gave him a light nod, knowing she was busted.

He let himself out and she sighed, flopping back into Sean's lap.

"It's like having another brother. He is so not going to let this go," Kyra ruefully said, her eyes closed.

"Chase is a good man who won't talk about it in public. You've got nothing to worry about," Sean said, stroking her cheek. She looked up into his dark eyes, trusting he was right.


	6. Chapter 6

Sean was roused from sleep at 2 a.m. when his cell phone incessantly rang. He reluctantly released Kyra and rolled over to reach for it.

"Yeah," he growled. Sergeant Ben Yates, on the other end, profusely apologized for waking him before pressing on with news of a possible crime scene downtown. The detectives on duty said it looked like a suicide but they wanted his clearance on the matter.

"I'm on my way. Tell the coroner to hold tight and not move the body 'til I get there," Sean ordered. He hung up as he slid out of bed.

"Do you want me to come?" Kyra softly asked. Sean looked at her as he pulled his jeans on and reached for his badge.

"Do you mind?" She shook her head and tossed back the covers. He paused as he watched her shimmy into her clothes. He wanted to wake up next to her every morning. He needed her in his life. Forever.

"Marry me." It slipped out before he could stop it.

Stunned, Kyra stopped amid pulling on her boots and stared at him.

"Sean, you can't be serious! We've only been seeing each other for a couple of months. What about my job? Your job?"

He adjusted his gun holster and came around to her side of the bed and sat next to her.

"I'm old enough to know when I've got a good thing, I'm going to hold onto it. Let me worry about Internal Affairs. I want you in my life permanently all the time, Kyra. Say yes."

Kyra wanted him around permanently, too. But what were her folks going to say? Her brothers, in blood and in blue?

"Can you at least give me a few minutes to soak this in before I answer?" she said, looking earnestly into his face. He gave her one his rare smiles and nodded.

"I kind of sprung that on you without warning, didn't I?" He gave her a peck on the cheek before heading out of the room. "I'll get the truck fired up."

* * *

Over the course of the next week, Kyra considered what it would mean to say yes. To his credit, Sean didn't bring up the subject again. He knew she'd give an answer when she was ready.

She finally broke down and confided in her partner about Sean's proposal while they were on their way to talk to some witnesses.

Chase didn't pitch a fit like she'd expected him to. Instead he mulled over it for a few minutes before responding.

"If you're in love with him and he's what you want, then what's holding you back?" he asked.

"Other than the fact he's my boss?" she said, giving him a sideways glance. Chase looked from the road at her.

"Is that all that's bothering you?" Chase said. "You can always transfer to another precinct in the city. You can go somewhere else in law enforcement. You can get out completely and take another career path. There's options, Kyra. Don't let that be the thing that stops you from following your heart."


End file.
